Advocate file photo -- A graphic rendition of the changes Mayor Kip Holden announced In March, 2014, as long-awaited plans to three-way Government Street and add bike and turn lanes.

Advocate staff photo by BILL FEIG -- Government Street traffic near Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church and school. Construction is planned to change the road to a three lane, with turning lanes, bike paths and sidewalks.

Advocate file photo by BILL FEIG -- Government Street traffic near Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church and school. A 'road diet' proposes changing the road to a three lane, with a center two-way left-turn lane, bike paths and sidewalks.

Advocate staff photo by BILL FEIG -- George Bolinger, left, and Jaquevias Groves, right, work as part of the survey crew in November in the area of Government and Camelia Streets. Construction is planned to change the road to a three lane, with turning lanes, bike paths and sidewalks.

Advocate staff photo by BILL FEIG -- As traffic waits for the light, a pickup truck turns from Acadian northbound to Government eastbound November. Construction is planned to change the road to a three lane, with turning lanes, bike paths and sidewalks.

Advocate staff photo by BILL FEIG -- George Bolinger, left, acts as flagman and Jaquevias Groves, right, uses the prism pole in November as part of the survey crew in the area of Government and Camelia Streets.

Advocate file photo -- A graphic rendition of the changes Mayor Kip Holden announced In March, 2014, as long-awaited plans to three-way Government Street and add bike and turn lanes.

Advocate staff photo by BILL FEIG -- Government Street traffic near Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church and school. Construction is planned to change the road to a three lane, with turning lanes, bike paths and sidewalks.

Advocate file photo by BILL FEIG -- Government Street traffic near Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church and school. A 'road diet' proposes changing the road to a three lane, with a center two-way left-turn lane, bike paths and sidewalks.

Advocate staff photo by BILL FEIG -- George Bolinger, left, and Jaquevias Groves, right, work as part of the survey crew in November in the area of Government and Camelia Streets. Construction is planned to change the road to a three lane, with turning lanes, bike paths and sidewalks.

Advocate staff photo by BILL FEIG -- As traffic waits for the light, a pickup truck turns from Acadian northbound to Government eastbound November. Construction is planned to change the road to a three lane, with turning lanes, bike paths and sidewalks.

Advocate staff photo by BILL FEIG -- George Bolinger, left, acts as flagman and Jaquevias Groves, right, uses the prism pole in November as part of the survey crew in the area of Government and Camelia Streets.

New restaurants, shops and a pedestrian-friendly atmosphere are all the hype for the future of Government Street, but the project still has a long way to go.

The public has not yet had the chance to weigh in on the upgrades that represent what many city-parish residents and leaders have called for — added walkability and bikeability to the city.

Public meetings likely will be rescheduled in about a month, according to Mike Bruce, a principal with Stantec, the design consultant for the project. A Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development spokeswoman confirmed they have not yet rescheduled a meeting after canceling an open house set for early February.

Previous meetings were canceled because the city-parish and the state have been “working out some technical issues,” according to Bruce. He said the community meetings will allow the public to weigh in on some alternative design plans and to express concerns.

Walkability and bikeability have become buzzwords in Baton Rouge as of late. City leaders have acknowledged the city’s reputation for being unfriendly to those who are not driving vehicles to get from place to place.

Environmental Protection Agency staff and national experts will come to Baton Rouge and explain how to start a bike share program, which often allows people to pay a small fee and pick up a bike at one hub and drop it off somewhere else. Washington D.C., Chicago, Boston and Denver are among the cities known for their popular bike share programs.

In Baton Rouge, Government Street is an example of where city leaders are trying to change the attitude that transportation must be vehicle-based. But the plans for the improvements have hit some speed bumps along the way.

Mayor-President Kip Holden announced the plans to revitalize the street in March 2014, saying construction would begin that year and finish by the end of 2015. The timetable has been pushed back because of requirements for using federal dollars to pay for the project.

Planners are now looking ahead to an environmental impact study, public feedback and federal government approval.